The Sun. — London, England, 1838-01-22 00:00:00

MAR YLEBONE, PUBLIC MEETING.-(THIS DAY.) THE BALLOT. A Public Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Borough of Marylebone, convened by the Vestry, was held this day at the Workhouse, New Road, for the purpose of ex pressing their opinion on the subject of the Ballot, and of petitioning Parliament in favour of that measure. The meeting was originally to be held in the Workhouse-yard, but in consequence of the severity of the weather it was deter mined to hold it in the school-room of this building. When the chair was taken there were not a great many persons present, but, in the course of the proceedings. it became very crowded. On the platform we o b serve d M r . Hume, M. P., Col. Evans, M. P., Col. Thompson, Gilbert Ainslie Young, Esq., Mr. Hall, M. P., Sir S. Whalley, M P., and other eminent re formers, inhabitants of the borough. On the motion of Mr. HOME, seconded by Mr. HOVENDEN, Dr. HARRISON was unanimously called to the chair, at twenty minutes past one o'clock. The CHAIRMAN said, that the honour of being called to the Chair was quite unexpected, as it had been intended that a Noble Lord who, however, was not now present, should pre side over the meeting. He requested that they would hear every person, whether opposed to the object of the meeting or not. Mr. HOVENDEN rose to move the first resolution. Hs said the inhabitants of the borough were once more assembled humbly but firmly to call upon the Legislature to give full effect to the Reform Bill, and to make those amendments in that measure which were necessary to give practical effi cacy to its enactments. It was mere chicanery to pro fess to confer the franchise upon a large portion of the people if it were not intended that they should vote freely. He could not suppose that the Legislature meant to say to the electors as to children, that they might nominally possess the franchise, but they must use it only so as to please their feudal superiors.—( Hear.) If that was the object it would have been better to have allowed the old system of nomination boroughs, because under that system no coer cion was necessary. The great man gave orders to his steward and bailiffs to go through certain forms, and to return his no minee to Parliament. He (Mr. H.) was aware of the disadvan tages of secret voting, and if every man in the country had a vote it would be proper that the people should know in what way he used it, but so long as the franchise was limited, and hebe lieved that in the present state of society, it was necessary that it should be limited,whilst it was so limited the Ballot was necessary to protoct those who possessed the franchise from the tyranny of their landlords and the intimidytion of their customers. For this reason he balanced the advantages of secret votine with the disad van t ages , an d h e remained, as he always had been, the advocate of the Ballot.—( Cheers.) It was said to be un manly to vote in secret ; but was that more unmanly than to be whipped to the poll by a tyrannical land lord or an arrogant customer ? (H ear, h ear, h ear. ) As to th e idl e talk of " unmanliness" such a pretence was scarcely worthy of reply.—( Hear.) A great man in the north ( Sir J. Graham) had said that whoever advocated the Ballot there were 13 men in this country—and three potential names —which must ever be opposed to it.—( Hear.) But notwithstanding the untoward declaration of the Noble Leader of the Cabinet in the House of Commons, which I deeply regret—(" No," we believe, from Mr. Hume)—that Noble Lord had been taunted in a way which few men could resist, with a coarseness of language which he (Mr. Hovenden) deprecated still more than the declaration in question; still he was sorry that the Noble Lord had been induced by that lan guage to make such a declaration.—( Hear, hear.) Notwith standing, however, the assertion of the " Cock-o'-the-North" --(Laughter)—when it was recollected the Earl of Durham, a name synonimous with honour—(Cheers)—when it was re membered that the resolution; supporting the Ballot, House hold Suffrage, and Triennial Parliaments, had been appro priately called the " Durham test of true Reformers"— ( Loud cheering)—and that this nobleman, who had been a member of the late Cabinet of Earl Grey— had been just entrusted with a mission of the greatest respon sibility and importance, this was a proof that the present Cabinet did not consider that to maintain these three great measures was not necessarily to be in opposition to their Government, and therefore it might be hoped that they were not determinately opposed to the measures. (Cheers.) Even if they were, let it be remembered that twenty-five millions of Britons were opposed to them, and by peaceable, yet earnest perseverance, those individuals would be forced to come to a better way of thinki ng .—( Ch eers. ) It was n o t necessary f or hi m (Mr. Hovenden) to detain the meeting by repeating the arguments he had so often urged in favour of the Ballot. —( Hear, bear.) Mr. HOVENDEN then read the resolution, which was to the following effect : " That this meeting is of opinion, from the great and im portant benefits which have resulted from the practical use of the Ballot in the parochial elections of this extensive parish, that it is the only mode by which the in dependent exercise of the elective franchise can be effectually secured to the voter, and therefore ought to be extended to the Parliamentary elections of the United Kingdom."—( Cheers. ) Mr. HOME then came forward, and was received with loud cheers. The Honourable Gentleman said that, as a fellow parishioner, he was extremely Pleased to find them moving towards that great and important object, which was so necessary to the welfare and happiness of the people, and which, if they only persevered in, they must obtain. That was, that every man who possessed the elective franchise should be able to exercise it without fear or alarm, as to his personal interests suffering by it. They met now under very different circumstances indeed from those of last year, when he ( Mr. H.) and others believed his Majesty's Ministers to be restrained from proceeding with th e re f orms which th e y con t e mplat e d by t h e h ea d of the' State.—( Hear. ) Ile thought they might now look upon Ministers in a very dif_ ferent light. His Hon. Friend had expressed his regret that Lord John Russell should have made the declaration which lie did against the Ballot. Now he ( Mr. H.) did not participate in that feeling. It was not becoming, in his opinion, for a man occupying the high position whiali his Lordship did, it was not becoming a man of honour and honesty, he would not be entitled to the confidence of the country, if he spoke hee thing, while h e th oug h t anot h er .—( Hear.) He (Mr. H.) d been himself a most anxious and ardent supporter of a Whig Administration.—(Hear, hear.) He had supported them because, in comparing their principles with those of their predecessors, the Torie s , he found that while, on the one , and, the progress of Reform was impeded and checked, the Whigs professed, at least, to extend the liberties of the people.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) He was also sensible—no man could be more so that very great advantages indeed had been obtained from the Whig ..I,Wrninistration since th e y came i nto o ffi ce, and having given !nem the Reform Bill in name and in letter, they were bound In honour t o carry i t out in effect.—( Cries of " Hear, o c 'ate e) To be sure they had in the last and the P r eceding s ess i on b een opposed by circumstances at which they could not c on t ro l, b ut h e ( M r. Hume) believed the time that they were sound at bottom, !•rld would endeavour to carry the principle of that measure ,wilt'!O effect as soon as those difficulties had been removed. th regard, however, to the declaration of Lord John Russell, fg the Noble Lord every credit for his manly declaration, T?! . such he esteemed it, but lie thought that Mr. Wakley and hera had b een most unjustly complained of for drawing that de claration f rom hi m. Was there any ground for complaint A g a inst t thos e G ent l emen b ecause they asked the Ministers 4, ) , r ear ny out th e p r i nc i p l es o f t h e R e f orm Bill ?_( Hear, hear.) There was nothing else asked ; it was true it might be asked more courteous language, but the question was, whether emmeat language w as i nte lli g ibl e or not. Could any one doubt at it was?—(Ch eers. ) Th e request was put what do you an to do? Do you mean to give protection to those who have th e su ff rage ? Dou you mean to extend the suffrage and do ,to 0 12 Mean to give us shorter Parliaments—( Cheers)—in order Make the representatives of th e p eop l e more responsible to the ir constituents.—( Cheers. ) These were the questions that we re put, and he a ppl au d e d L or d J o h n Russell for no longer O l ssembling what his rea l i ntent i ons were.—( C heers.) They , 4 d the declaration o f th e N o bl e L or d, w h o he believed spoke th e opinion of his colleagues, for none of them at any public rrl eeting had denied it.—( Cheers. ) It must theref ore b e taken to be the declaration of the Cabinet, that as far as they wer e concerned they w e r e det erm i ne d n o t only not to ,` v e, but to oppose the Ballot.—( Hear, and cheers.) They t h er ° determined to oppose Household Suffrage and the tip ortening of Parliament.—(Cheers.) So far from regret ciog that Lord John Russell had made the declaration, he had re: e ' he applauded it because it showed the country the senti- N ..o s of her Majesty's Ministers upon those subjects. He tlo v cated the Ballot on the principle, that the worthy a st v r had done, and he held it to be a mockery in the high tens e gree, to give the suffrage to an increased number of per it ito allow a state of circumstances to ex i st, w hi c h ren dered 1 0 , 4 :Possibl e f or t h ose to whom they had given the suffrage to si honestly or without compulsion.—( Cheers.) He had no bei' from the declaration of Lord ( John Russell, that he sg a - •"ed the Ballot was not popular, because he had stated tsei l o 4 . and again his desire to meet the wishes of the (4. r ltY of the people—( Cheers)—and from what he said, he of 'Lllurne) believed his opinion was, that the great majority ti ea tu e People did not wish it.—(Loud cheers, and h as of "He is w rong .") If t h at was hi s op i n i on th a t Ala,: reason why meetings like the present should take th at th in every parish, in order to show that Noble Lord h ie th e opinio n h e enterta i ned was wrong.—(Loud cheers.) ,ad b e refore j o i ne d most cord i ally i n the proposition which 10 t? w en Made. W as t h ere anyt hi ng un- E ng li s h i n t h e Bal t)ss ( H ear, hear.) It wes more un-English to compel and , k4 a4 t hose who might be dependent—it was more un -I,Ntek' to exercise power to oblige individuals to violate the emma ins of those in humble situations. Though at this „ t v „, t , the public might appear indifferent to the value of se ea setae e hoped that on further consideration of what was rjts e , t c'a, and the necessity of having a control over the re "ttiVeS of. the people and of the Government, the mea. 1 th, ° , lll ti work its w a y i n t h e m i n d o f ever y reason i ng nian, t o e ns, the people would feel the necessity of raising their ,11,11,11,41 order that Government, being acquainted with their ita t '. ll °°s, might re-consider their present resolves,. and ai t ls e s olo to their own principles and . their country. IsiNti O 4 not look to the declaration of the Admi- O ' li ti, without re gret ti ng th e d e s e rtion of tho s e p r i nc i p l es a,lstk trade the p eo pl e anxious to support them. He could tamis' b ack to the favourable measures conferred upon us of ktt el ectione. —( Cry of o the Poor Laws.") This was t411 .4 .1 0 t 1 1 1 4 'e to enter into that question.- 7 (" That is . ameng lcoN p ee n Russell's other good qualities.") If a meeting was t4, ll t,ts tid the subject of tho Poor Laws he should be ready They were now met to consider the subject . of of ' i g i e a t i,,`' as he was no friend to the Ballot or Extension 'Qs " o ,"rasse. who wished to thwart or stop the proceedings m eeting by introducing extraneous matter. On the subject of the Poor-laws, he should not be backward to state his reasons for supporting that measure and defending his conduct, and ho hoped they would be able to prove that many of the fears and alarms which had existed respecting that most important measure were entirely groundless.—(Hear, hear.) He could not help expressing his deep regret that the Government did not think fit to follow out their own mea• sure—the Reform Bill, which had given them so much respect in the eyes of the co untry. At the same time he was not insensible, and never would be insensible of the great extension of popular rights which they had for the last seven years obtained from them as Ministers. All he hoped was that they would see the advantages they had already derived from the Reform Bill. and that they would carry out the measures they had promised, the measures the people wanted, and the measures which he held to be essentially ne cessary to a good Government. The Hon. Gentleman con cluded by seconding the resolution. Mr. HOVENDEN explained. He had not regretted that Lord John Russell did not conceal his opinion, but he regretted that he should entertain these opinions. Col. ENANS then presented himself and was greeted with hisses, cheers, and cries of " off." He said he should be under necessity of retiring for a sh or t ti me f rom t h e meeting, and therefore h e would take the liberty of saying a fe w wor d s i n support of th e reso l ut i ons. —(Hisses.) He was not aware there was any man in that room who had a right to refuse him a hearing, if he pretended to be a friend of freedom. If any man from mistaken motives attempted to call in ques tion, by hissing or other means, his sincere and constant de votion to the principles he had always professed, then he was called upon to assert his own character.—( Cheers.) Instead of being resentful to those individuals, he only lamented they had been misled, or that they had misconceived his intentions and actions.--( Hear.) He was not afraid to appear before any body of men of whatever description, particularly of those principles he had always advocated, and always would support. The presumption was, that the persons who did so had some ground to hiss him, which he would beg most emphatically to deny. He would as k, w h at man was there in that room who had gone more out of his way, who had made greater sacri fices, or exposed himself to more risks in the cause of liberty than himself ?—( Cheers.) He differed occasionally from his Hon. Friend, the Member for Kilkenny, upon political mat ters, but that Hon. Gent. himself was sometimes obliged to appeal against the dissentient voices of those who differed from him. —( Hear, hear.) He presumed the present expression of feeling arose from a letter of his regard ing the Canada question.—(Cheers and hisses.) But they would recollect that that question had been only just brought before the country ; and he should be ready, when it came to be fully discussed, to support his opinions there as well as elsewhere.—(Loud and continued cheers.) The subject at present before them was that of the Ballot, and nothing wa s more important than that the people should obtain a mode of voting fearlessly and independently. There was a difficulty in urging what was a self-evident principle, and nothing- was more obvious or self-evident than the neces stiy of obtaining Vote by Ballot.—(Cheers.) The re sult of the late elections bore him out fully in that opinion ; and neither Tory, Whig, nor Radical could bring forward more cogent arguments in its behalf than that result. He feared that the Liberal party had not been quite so scru pulous on that occasion as fum principle required, b ut the Tories had fa r t ranscen d e d them in that respect, and had never more conspicuously displayed their complete indifference to political opinion and public rights.—(Cheers.) With respect to the questions of the extension of the suffrage, and the shortening of the duration of Parliaments, he for one regretted that Ministers had expressed themselves unfavour ably to these questions; but they would find that when the great majority of the people were favourable to them, the Ministers would rather grant them than give up their seats in the Cabinet.—(Cries of "No thanks to them !") Some of the Ministers, he believed, were in favour of the Ballot, and while there was any doubt of the opinion of any one of the Cabinet, he thought that it was more im portant that the public feeling should be shown, so that they might be forced into the granting of that which would be a most healing measure. He was very sorry to see so thin a meeting on such important questions. Probably that might arise from the weather, or more probably because of the suddenness of the calling of the meeting—he himself had not been invited more than two days since --otherwise he had no doubt there would have been a very full attendance. His Honourable Friend the Member for Kilkenny had stated that Minis ters, ought to declare they had done so and so, and he was proud of it, but the Hon. Member was a little inconsis tent, because during the late reign therefore he had stated that he supported the Ministry because the Sovereign was thought to be an enemy to Reform—that was ad mitting expediency, and if once admitted it must be carried out to its full extent. Therefore he thought that it was inexpedient at the present moment to press the Ministry to a decision upon the question. He would rather that the public voice was unequivocally unexpressed, in order that they might then be forced, by a sort of gentle compulsion, to comply with the wishes of the people.—(Hear, hear. ) There was scarcely a person connected with the Liberal party who was not surprised at the result of the last election. He, for one, deeply deplored that result. It astonished him, and disheartened him as to the prospects of the Liberal cause. He was never more surprised at anything than at the number of Conservatives who had been returned to the present Par liament. The CHAIRNIAN here rose to order. He said that the meet ing had been called together for the purpose of considering three objects, and he hoped that every gentleman would con fine his observations to these, namely—the vote by ballot, house hold suffrage, and triennial Parliaments. Colonel EVANS apologised for having digressed—he had always been the advocate of the three objects of the meeting, and especially of the Ballot.—( Cheers.) The Honourable and Gallant Gentleman concluded amid loud cries of " Go on, go on." Mr. HOME begged to explain. His Hon. and gallant friend had misunderstood him. He (Mr. Hume) had said that he approved of Lord John Russell's declaration, as it gave the country an opportunity of expressing its opinion in such a manner as would induce Ministers to alter their in tentions upon that subject ; besides he wished every man honestly to speak out Isis opinions ; and it would have been hypocrisy on the part of Lord J. Russell, if he had allowed the people to suppose that he held opinions contrary to those which he real!) , did hold. He (Mr. H.) hoped that gentle men would confine themselves to the three questions before the meeting, which was the most likely course to attain their object._( Hear. ) The CHAIRMAN said, the Members for the borough were present, and were desirous of an early opportunity of address ing the meeting, as they had important duties to attend to in Parliament.—( Cheers.) Mr. Head, then came forward, and was loudly cheered for some moments, with conflicting cries of " Whalley" and " Hall. ' He assured the meeting that it was a matter of indifference both to his colleague and himself which of them should be first heard.__( Cheers.) If he (Mr. H.) believed there was any difference in the hearts of those present, he would by no means put himself forward first.—( Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMAN having observed an individual who had more than once interrupted the proceedings of the meeting, told him that if he continued his annoyance, he would order him to be removed.—( Cheers.) Mr. HALL, then, adverting to the three measures in support of which the present meeting was called, said he believed that the effect of the measures if carried would be to give to the people a more efficient representation ; and he was persuaded that the more the feelings of the people were truly represented, the more they were thus mode a compo nent part of the Constitution, the firmer would be the basis upon which that Constitution would rest, supported as it would be by the great mass of the population.—(Cheers.) The three propositions of the Ballot, the Extension of the Suffrage, and the Shortening of the Duration of Par liaments were so intimately connected with each other that they might be considered parts of the same system.— ( Hear, hear.) The duration of Parliament was advocated, because thereby the electoral body would have a more fre quent confront over their representatives.—( Loud cheers.) The Suffrage ought to be extended—to widen and render firmer and more secure the basis of political representation—(Cheers) — an d " last, not least," was the paramount necessity of the Ballot—(Cheers)—not merely to protect the electors in the exercise of that extended franchise which they hoped to obtain ; but that oven under its present limitations they might be able to give their votes according to dthe dictates of t h e i r own judgment without corruption or intimi ation. They associated these, as he understood from the resolu tion, those three great propositions. He was glad of it. He was rejoic e d that th ey h ad come forward thus manfully to avow theirintentions and determination to carry them into effect. He, as their representative, had no hesitation in declaring that lie agreed in the sentiments declared by those resolutions, and however ill qualified he might be to be the organ of these hopinions, he had no hesitation in saying that he would take is stand with them—(Loud cheers)—let the opposi tion to them come from what quarter it might, whe ther from their old enemies the Torii s or from those who held th e re i gns of Government, and who , ought to be the most strenuous supporters of the principle, and their leaders in the struggle to obtain the recogeit'on of it.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) At every meeting which he (Mr. H.) had at tended in that parish, h e had always been frank and explicit in the avowal o f hi s opinions—(hear) —and he would ever be so. If, therefore, he was to say that one of those three great measures was m ore necessary than the others to carry out the purity of elections, and th e f ree exercise of the elective franchise, he hope d he would not be understood as saying anything to take from or lessen the importance of the others. He thought, h owever, that the Ballot was more important in its nature, and being nearest of attain ment, they ought to make a strong pu s h for ft.-4 Hear, hear.) Rapid strides had taken place in public opinion upon this sub ject. A few years ago there were scarcely more than twenty advocates for it, and he WaS now numbered amongst 200 Alembe..s of the House of Comm ons , who were ardent supporters of it.—( Cheers.) Since the year 1823, the period to which he alluded, there had been no less than five dissolutions of Parliament, and as many contest e d e l ections, marked by all the asperity, persecution, and corruption, which had called so loudly for thi s reme d y . His Hon. Friend the Member for Kilkenny well knew that a Bill had been brought into Parliament, and subsequently abandoned, that Committees had been appointed, and come to a conclusion without offering any distinct proposition to tiee House. All had been abandoned, the shifting and shuffling cf the many had beea given up, for wherever they turned, the is ord Ballot stared them in the face, it was like the hand -writing upon the wall—(Cheers.)—demanding, that the electing of the repre sentatives of the people should be placed upon a pro per footing.—(Cheers.) He advocated the question of the Ballot the more especially, because he believed it was nearest their grasp, and if they could hold if they would wield it for the protection of the voter.-- (Cheers.) He would now point out what were the leading irgurnents made by the Tories and Whigs against the pro eosition of the Ballot ; the argument of the Tories was inge leous and subtle, carrying with it a sea of corroborative proof that some evil was at hand. The Tories dealt in subterfuge, they fare not say to the people " You shall have no further Reform," they rested their hopes upon deluding the people.—( Ci,ecrs. ) They sent forth clap-traps for the mechanic and agrieulterist, end the only difference was, that the agriculturists fail into the trap, while the wary mechanic avoided the trap. They cried nit that the Church was in danger.—(Cheers.) It was well known that the Spiritual Church was stronger than ever.— ( Cheers.) He wished to make it manifest that there was a difference between the Peers and the People.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) He said that the Peer was responsibl e to God but the 101. householder: to his neighbour. — (Cheers.) He could never sanction such a proposition as that. The argument of responsibility amounted to this, that whilst they desired that the voters should be responsible to his conscience, the Tories desired that he should be responsible to his landlord.--( Cheers.) They de .;ired that the voter should be free, while the Tories wished them to be under domination.—(Loud cheering.) But the latter part of the argument carried with it a plaus:bi lity upon which lie would touch briefly. It was said if you give the Ballot to the existing constituency, you debar yourselves from this power of the extension of the suffrage, Was there anything so uncharitable as such a statement ? He defied them to point out any data on which to form such an aspersion on their fellow-countrymen. If we could believe that the granting the Ballot would debar the extension of the suffrag e he would be the last man to support the proposition. If the Ballot was granted to-day and the Extension of the Suff: age should be deferred awhile ; he believed those who had the Ballot would be the first to come forward and demand an extension of the Suffrage to their fellow -countrymen with the protection they enjoyed.—(Hear, hear, hear.) Having, touched on the leading articles of Toryism. he would now, look to the assertion of the Whigs. He did not condemn Lord John Russell for the explanation which lie had given of his sentiments. He entirely concurred in the remarks of the Hon. Member for Kilkenny, and was sure that any one who watched the conduct of the Noble Lord must have marked the deliberate manner in which he always gave his opinion.--' ( Hear, hear, hear.) So far from having a don'et as to the conduct of Government, he (Mr. Hall) was convinced that the Noble Lord had only stated the sentiments of the ma jority of the Cabinet and the intentions of the Cabinet, for this sole reason, that the people might see they had to depend on themselves. So far from condemning the Noble Lord for his declaration, he honoured him as a man, but condemned his conduct as a politician. Did the Noble Lord suppose his decla ration met with a responsive feeling ? The moment the words went forth from St. Stephens Chapel, the signal was given for Reformers to meet through the country, and pass resolutions condemnatory of that declaration. The noble lord said, if they demanded he was prepared to resist—he had gone so far and would go no further. The answer of the people was, that they had placed the noble lord and his colleagues in power to pass tile Reform Bill, which was only a means to an end. The suffrage was given and they wanted its extension. The Noble Lord said the Reform Bill was a final measure, and that a compact had been entered to that effect. With whom was that compact entered into ? Was it with the Parliament or the people ? If with the Parliament, he, (Mr. Hell) as a member, was no party to it, and he declared that whilst the people desired nothing less than the Reform Bill, they did not rt all debar themselves from the power of de manding more when a fitting opportunity arrived.--( Hear.) With regard to the argument of finality, was any thing so preposterous as the argument that any body of men, how ever exalted their station, should arrogate to themselves a power of legislating for futurity ? Was not the growing influence of the times, and the just demands of milli ms, to be considered? The argument of finality was worth the dictum of the Minister, and the dictum of the Minister was worth nothing unless it received the full sanction of the re pie. He desired at meetings like the present, where he met his constituents, to be distinctly and unequivocally under stood.—( Hear, hear.) This was the first meeting he had had th e h onour o f a dd ress i ng o f h i s constituents since he had attempted to represent their interests in the House of Commons. He th an k e d th em f or t h e ki ndness w i t h which they had listened to him, and he hoped that at any future time they would allow him in the same way to express his senti ments. The H on . G ent l eman sat d own am id st great Ace, ins*. Sir S. WHALLRY hardly knew whether he could claim their attention after they had listened to the very able speeches that had preceded him on this occasion. He had derived great pleasure from hearing the expression of those sentiments. His Hon. Friend (Mr. Hall) had in a most able manner stated his views, so much so, that he (Sir S. W.) felt the difficulty of going over this old trodden ground. They did not wish to approach the Legislature with any erode desire of organic changes, but they had a greater claim on the attention of the Legislature than any other body of petitioners who might approach Parliament. Because they asked them not to give them any ill considered measures of changes, but merely to extend to their political rights that mode of voting, that species of suffrage, and that duration of repre sentation that they had given them in their parochial affairs• He could hardly hope to find unanimity of opinion upon the subject of the extension of the suffrage. Unfortunately, some minor differences of opinion had sprung up, not upon measures but upon their extent. He spoke in the presence of many who were not householders in the borough, and who might complain that they did not vote for an extension of the suffrage to them also. That complaint was naturally, but the time was not distant when the householders of the United Eiagdom hailed with delight the framing of the Reform Bill which conferred the franchise on the ten-pound householders only, because they felt that although it was only limited to them in the first instance, the Legislature might be af terwar d s i n d uced to let in a larger constituency.— (Cheers.) The same principle weighed with him (Sir S, Whalley.) Now it was prudent to limit their prayer to House hold S iftrage only at present, but he was not pre pared; to fiz any limit to the constituency, because there was no limit to the increasing capability of the people to take part in the Government of the country.—(Applause.) In his time he had seen the most ex traordinary proof of the march of intellect (as it was called) among the people, and he would accept the extension now prayed as an instalment of the great debt, without attempt ing, as he before observed, to fix any limit to the constituency of the country.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) Many were of opinion that it was inexpedient to ask for the protection of the Ballot for the present constituency. He differed Is ith those gentleman in opinion. It was necessary that the present constituency should be protected. The question to be asked now was, whether the people or the landed interest was the greater power in the state ?_( Hear, hear.) The landed interest had too much influence in the Government, and it was necessary to protect the con stituency—it was necessary to grant the Ballot, in order to emancipate the present constituency.—( Cheers.) On the part of Cie people, he denied that they were in favour of coercion even in their own hands. They wished for protection to all parties.—( Cheers.) We shall give the conclusion in our SECOND EDITION. About ten o'clock on Friday night a fire was dis covered to have commenced in the housekeeper's room of the Reform Club, Pall-mall. The secretary, Mr. CoppcTlt, made an effort to extinguish it, but the smoke overcame him, and he was drawn out of the room in a state of partial insen sibility. The County Fire-office was sent to, and in a few minutes the two engines belonging to the establishment and the parish engine were brought to the spot, and after working three hours the fire was completely subdued. The damage is said not to exceed 150/. The building, &c., is insured for 17,0001. in the Sun. SIR CHARLES WETHERELL'S WARDROBE.— Those who have seen Sir Charles only in the law court, cannot of course form any idea of the character of his card robe ; for the ample proportions of his professional gown conceal his ordinary apparel from the rude gaze of the public. It is of a very peculiar kind : it is always, at least on a'l oc casions when I have seen it, of a colour for which I believe there is no name. There can be no doubt that the colour, when the cloth came from the hands of the manufacturer, was what is called black ; but the thing which puzzle one is to decide what the colour is when the cloth first graces the per son of Sir Charles. No one ever yet saw him sport a new suit. This may have been understood as a joke. I speak in sober seriousness when I say, that I never, so fur as I could judge, saw his person graced with apparel which was fresh from the hands of the tailor. Some people would have no objection to hint, that he never purchases his c!o.hes new, but that he deals with some second-hand vendor of ap parel. This is not my theory ; neither do I subscribe- to the hypothesis, that in early life he laid in a stock sufficient to last him h a lf a century, and that he wears the fifty suits constituting his stock, by rotation, allowing one week to each at a time. In fact, if the truth must be spoken, lam not only dissatisfied with both these theories, but I have no hypothesis of my own to offer in their place. I may be called a pretty philosopher —that is to say, no philosopher at all—for making this admission I cannot help it. Better to have no hypo thesis at all, than to have an erroneous one. The learned gen tleman takes the shine out of his clothes in a double sense. Ile does ample justice to them in the matter of wear and tear. He acts with his apparel on the principle of not parting with an old acquaintance so long as he can help it. He keeps to his clothes till they will no longer keep to him ; and even then the separation is, on his part, made with the deepest regret. Whether or not this arises from considerations of economy, I cannot positively say : I am strongly impressed with the notion, that it has its origin in that singular eccentricity of character of which I have been speaking. It is known all the civilized world over, that Sir Charles never wears braces. It 11;:s been said indeed —with what truth it is nor for me to de termine—that the circumstance of wearing a pair of braces proved an effectual disguise, when the Bristol mob were in suit of him. Possibly this is a joke, and nothing else. It is no joke, however, but a sober fact, that Sir Charles has such a mortal abhorrence of braces, or " suspenders" as he calls them, that nothing short of their saving his life could reconcile him to the calamity of wearing them.__ T/ Bench and the Dar, by the Author of " Random Recollections." THE SERPENTINE. —Many of the leading mei n bars of the Skating Club ma d e t h e i r first appearane e on the Serpent:ne yesterday and on S a t ur d ay. The ice, as we be fore stated was excellent, and very superior to the Regent's Park. On the north s id e t h e b est skaters cppeared. The usual figures, in narrow circles, predominated ; the carri.e.;es on the line, from tha north-eastern end to the building. erected for the recovery of drowned persons, were more num-r-us than on any preceding day during the fro t• Many ..v..1!- dressed persons were on the south bank. We are happy to say we heard of no accidents. NEW STANDIRISH RAILWAYS and JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Parliament -street, Jan. 22, 1838. Pariis nenA Correspo n d ent, subscribing himself " An Irish tary Agent," doubts the suggestion that Ireland is exempted from the operation of the Ninth Standing Order ' for a deposit of ten per cent., previous to proceeding before Parliament with a Bill by a Joint-Stock Company for making Railways. or certain other Public -works. Now, in reply to this doubt, I have merely to add that the other Psriiamentary Counsel, who concurred in the view taken by Mr. M. D. Hill was Mr. Harrison, than whom there can be but one higher authority as to the practice of the House, and that aame uthoritY, I ion have reason to b e li eve, has since expressed the s op in I hare the honour to be, &c., YOUR PARLIAMENTARY AGENT. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. 12, Carnaby_strect, St. James's, Jan. 18. Sia—By giving publicity to the following you will very much oblige me and, I think, prevent many such cases, and also offer a suggestion to the trade with which I belong-, and you are so intimately and, I hope, beneficially connected, which may of material service to them through your valuable and popular journal. JOHN BINMORE, MAR LBOROUGH -STREET, JAN. 18. ROBBERIES IN COFFEE-lIOUSES.—A man, who gave his name James Black, 34, Ogle-street, Marylebone, was examined and fully committed to take his trial from this office, for stealing nevtspapers from Binmore's Devonshire Coffee-house, Car nabv-itreet. There having been a great number of papers missing frequently, the proprietor had taken the precaution of privately marking them, and when the suspected party left the house, followed him and gave him into custody of the police, and on searching him found two of the marked papers in his poss?ssion. I would not trespass on your valuable columns, but the prac. tice being so much on the increase, the members with whom act are determined to prosecute every case they can d.tect. J. B, TO 11. ALEXANDER, CHAIRMAN OF THE GLASGOW COTTON-SPINNERS' COM MITTEE. Edinburgh Jail, Jan. 15, 1838. DEAR SlR,—Our case, which has excited so much public interest, has now come to a close, and we have received, in the language of one of the Judges, Mackenzie, " AN ARBITRARY SENTENCE." How far that sentence is in accordance with the laws of this country, and the usages of our Courts of Justice, we leave the public to decide. After having calmly examined the nature of the crimes of which a Jury have found us guilty; after minute and impartial investigation, we think it will be found, that those crimes amount in substance to neither more nor less titan this—That we, along with our fellow-workmen, resolved to, and did strike work against au enormous reduction of our wages, resolved upon by our employers; that a tumultuous crowd, or mob, ofmen, women, and children, of every grade and description, amongst which there were some spinners, assembled at Oak bank, and that some stones, fish-heads,and other missiles were thrown, and two men thereby hurt ;—that another crowd assembled near Mile-end, in Calton, and some spinners were seized upon by the police, not for any offence except composing a part of the crowd; and that one of them was summarily brought before the Sheriff' and convicted of what he never before knew to be a breach of the law;—that the Cotton Spinners' Society resolved, at the request of their Agent, to use their influence with their own body to prevent their members from joining in such assemblages in future. Yes, Dear Sir, this is all the Jury, after eight days' attentive investigation, a period unparalleled in the history of criminal jurisprudence in this or perhaps any other country, could find against us: and what we think worthy of remark, no witness or any one else attempted to say that any of us were near these places where the disturbances occurred; in fact some of us were not in the Kingdom at the time!! So you may see, Sir, that our offence consists in our being members of the Spinners 'Committee ; an offence if it be one, that we have not at any time attempted to deny. As to the evidence upon which even these things were established, such as papers found in a chest of drawers, in some part of our house,_. where no chest of drawers ever was; or twenty or thirty new hands being taken in at Oak Bank, where only eleven could possibly be admitted, and only thirteen ever could be admitted at any time ; and a thousand other absurdities which came out in evidence against us; on all these, it is not oar intention to comment. Nor do we wish to say anything about the secret that . happened to slip out in the heat of an elo quent address to the jury by a great personage, " That the conspiracy of which it was alleged we formed a part, was less formidable, than the conspiracy against us," or words to that effect. We shall not at pre sent comment on these things, but leave them to the public. Our object in addressing you at present, is solely for the purpose of expressing our unfeigned and heartfelt gratitude to you, Sir, to the Com mittee of which you have the honour to be Chairman, and to the work_ ing claeses generally, for their promptitude and liberality in coining forward with pecuniary aid to afford us the means of defence, and save our families from starvation, which must have been their fate, but for the sympathy of a generous public. It would be injustice to withhold from the Trades' Committee of Edinburgh, the mired of praise and gra titude due to them for the kind and unwearied attention paid to us during our confinement here. Nor can we forget those patriotic friends of freedom and justice, O'Connor, Beaumont, Stephens, Oastler, Taylor, and many other philanthropic spirits who made our wrongs ring from pole to pole, and roused the working classes from their lethargy, by showing them that the blow aimed at us was equally aimed at themselves, of the truth of whirls we have no doubt, they will soon get eenvincig proof We cannot withhold our gratitude from the many disinterested friends who came forward with their mite to procure for us justice, and a fair trial. When these see what has been our fate by only ONE or A ILIJOIIIIY or a JURY finding us guilty of the crimes above enumerated, while that Juryman unanimously cleared us of the many false charges brought against us, they can be at no loss to know what would have been our fate bad we been left without the means of defence. For our careerrare deservingwoul d haveosv part n e a l t s:t d v have on no a h t e li s s i g t a ra t i c o e n fu i I n g s a a l y l o i w n t h () o w n r fa e r ar w t l e t Iy such a fate, a s the have e a saidvod In te before,n tender u leave nc e t rhse thanks t t tt o ojuurd Agents,ge. conclusion, Sir, we beg e t Mr. Gemmel, for hi s a bl e, efficient, and indefatigable i particularly:ous in our cause; indeed , h ad he been a brother he could not have done more for u s. A s for our Counsel, they are too well known to the public t o requ i re any eulogium from us. eert Their assiduity and attention during the whole trial, we believe, is un rivalled in the history of this country. The legal and literary talent displayed by Messrs. M`Neil and Robertson is also without a parallel in the annals of pleading, at least that we ever heard or read of. Where now, we ask, are the CONSPIRACINS to burn mills, warehouses, &c., &c., and to commit muenee, with which we were so unsparingly charged Y ormter To Be ( thanks to an enlightened and discerning from the day of our apprehensio n t o t h e day of our trial ? TIIEY AUL E HB j y ' u V i r lE i n ; i T ) thrown back in the face of their cruel and unprincipled fabri. cators. Sir, in the names of those friends of freedom we have erai unqualified th an k s of your ever faithful and disconso. late friends. When we ar e d ragging the felons' chains, and perhaps writhi ng under the lash of our task-masters, while th e tears of our wives, our dear little ones and n umerous relatives water the streets of Accept, t o h t he en ' you have do ne your duty to prevent these and even worse our native city — you can reclin e on your pillow with the consoling re. efloenesti4nuetnhcaets than nY theseus w from overt a ki ng us. As it is more than pro_ bable that all or aOf ill have no opportunity of seeing you before our departure, with our best wishes for your welfare, adieu, Sir, adieu (Signed) THOMAS HUNTER. PETER HACKETT. RICHARD M'NEIL. JAMES GIBB. WILLIAM M'LEAN. TO THE EDITORS OP __ THE NORTHERN STAR. _____________ Gentlem e n,—Most fortu na t ely the above document was received from they were s nne rs y est erday (Tuesd a y . ) To-day (Wednesday) at three, uddenly and unexpectedl y hurried off to Leith, and p u t m the spi aboard o f .the London S t eamers, which then immediately set off. lh warning above an hour till they were off: No friends were , not even their agent here. A son of Thomas Hunter had f g dr o, , , i .: Glasgow ; but h e was refused the melancholy plea u Father, F arewell. " By mere accident Mr. M`Kerra ssure y o informed, f h ,arrived, had i s o bda n ry not cher and m i saying m y s elf got notice o f their departure, We hurried to the gaol door, and in a f e w minut es out they Caine in two coac h es. We so lemnly waved adieu with our hand s. R . M`Neil exclaimed to me to hurry to E • eith, wh o h ad the previous day come from after him with vitt} his wife jLn I speedily found her--got a coach, but when we Cilas.ow to see n • w haven they were shipped. We hired a boat, got aboard, , e or four minutes in their company. I need not say it fit meeting. r e ship was about to sail, and we parted. We was a pain t sent to the Penitentiary, or Hulks. They knew not suppose they are and how could we ? Oh what savage cruelty I Four of themselves, a a , r , r d iv ii e p d eri a t t :. t 4 h 'e rc rm . the men and no opp or t un i ty was given them to see their and hi; fan friends, arrange iie iltsheir household affa irs — no opportunity f or a father to tender h erl a last advice and blessings to either wife or children I The most endearing ties of nature rent asunder, without the slightest re- ard to mercy, humanity, or religion! All this, too, in Edinburgh— educated Scotland ! What other feeling than that religious, educated and contempt can we, or ought we, to feel for such coigonfnadbruehcl°it, and yet we are called on to respect the laws. When the dispensers of the law commit such outrages on the best feelings of human nature, it is impossible to honour them. But what is yet to be done for the men ? Their counsel arc getting up a petition to t h e Queen in the name of the prisoners, praying for a remission of the , ea t en ee. It is not doubted the seven jurymen, the minority of Oze, wi ll sign it. We are to have a public meeting in Edinburgh on Tues day evening first, for the same purpose. Up, then, England ! Up Lose not a moment ! A great national effort must be made to break their chains asunder! I can write no more with fatigue, distress, and exhaustion. Oh men o f England, Arouse ye! Arouse! You have the whole of this case oppreision_that is to say its true features—in the Spinners's own statement. J. FRASER, Edinburgh. LLOYD'S SH IPPING.-('FHIS DAY.) DEAL, JAN. 20.—Witul N. W., moderate and clear.—No ar r i va l s. Caine C r Sierra wn from the River and pro cee d e d , t h e Lord Wellington, Tate, fo Leone. 21 .—S.S E., fresh breeze.—Arrived and proceeded for the ick. River, Wm. Glen A n d erson, Metcalf, from St. John's, New Brunsw Came down from the River and proceeded, the Stratford, Lane, for Mauritius; and Cxsar, Alexander, for Messina. pORTSSIOUTIT, JAN 20. —Wind E.S.E.—Arrived the Napoleon, Childs, from London for Africa, last from Cowes, to be docked, having been at :horn at the entrance of that harbour. Sailed the Claudine, Kemp, Madras ; an d Ol desia, Burgess, for Llanelly. 21, wa rds, from Youg,hall ; M ayf l ower, Searl, from Cork; New York Pilot Tam O'Shante r , f rom G loucester; Perfect, Ed . bi:o.Sra.tEt,i.l-f-eroACmrarllttadtnie'rtchlaem ; and Louisa, Valk, from Odessa. Her Majesty's s hip Wasp is gone out of harbour to Spithead. PLVNIOUNI, JAN. 20 . —Wind E.S.E.—Arrived the Olive Branch, Tubbs, from Newfoundland ; Gironde, Delavolper, trom Charleston ; for and London. Th:Lnas Carty, isT e a_ , y from Demerara. Put b ac k , t h e Calpe, Cox, Fa of °urn, I "N . 1 9 . - -Wind E. to E.S.E. Jan. 20.—Wind S. to all, strong Sties and squally.—Arrived the Alamode, Bartlett, from Newfoundland; Henrietta, Gundry, from Ilertch ; Clyde, Luckie, Victoria, Adams, and Charles, Le I , tivre, from Messina; and Anne, Fawcett, from Oporto. Sailed the Falmouth Packet, Urru, for Lisbon. Put bark th Minerva, Terry, for Dovna, JAN. 21. Arrived off port the Sarah, Sharp, Newfoundland. So,'lHAmProx, JAN. 2 1.—Arrived offport the Transit steamer, Lisbon. CONVE, JAN. 21 . — Arrived the Gerberd Herman, from Porto Rico. Coate, JAN. 19.—Arriv,:d the Juno steamer, from London. Ho:sit:LAD, JAN 20. Arrived off port the ship No. StiO, supposed the Virginian, from New York. Newenar, JAN. 20.--Th e river is full of loose ice, so as almost to pre vent slips mooring. 17' tbet h. The _ sai Ranberg, from Copenhagen, put into Otterewick with rudder unshipped, having been on shore, bound to Trieste. The Dewdrop, Fowler, from Dartmouth, put into Plymouth, with loss of ratinniast &c., bound to Newfoundland. THE SUN, LONDON, MONDA Y, JANUARY 22, 1838 Mr. PEA RCE said it might also reasonably be arked how a drunken man could vote—(Laughter) —for he would have great difficulty in finding the holes. When a blind person presented himself to vote, some person in whom he could confide would be allowed to mark the card for him.—(l-1-ear.) Alderman TURNER moved--" That this meeting feels grateful to Mr. Grote, the member for the city of London, for affording us this oppor tunity of testing the Ballot with our own eyes." He had be .m quite satisfied long ago that without the Ballot the peace, good order, and kind feeling of society, would be destroyed. He had been an attentive observer of elections for the last thirty years, and had no faith in any scheme but secret voting. The Rev. W. HINCKS seconded the motion, which was then put and carried with only one dissentient. The meeting then quietly dispersed, after giving six loud cheers for the Ballot. LIBERTY OF TFIE PRESS IN GREECE. [This letter, it will be seen from the date, was written before our correspondent could be aware of the dism;ssal of M. Rud hart. It is, however, an interesting illustration of the loss which Greece is likely to sustain from the recal of the Bava rian Minister.] ATHENS, DEC. 18.—In my last letter I made a sad mistake respecting the law on the press, which while I was writing to you, was issued from the government printing-office. I na turally supposed that the alterations and modifications which the original law proposed by Mons. Rudhart had received during . its progress through the Council of State would have been respected and adopted by the King, especially as a few days previous his Majesty had thought proper to attach so much importance to the opinion of that body, on the question concerning the stay of the Bavarian troops. Far from such being the case, the alterations of the council are rejected by his Majesty, and their modifica tions treat( d with contempt ; the law is published in nearly the same form as when sent down to the council, and amounts to an abolition of the liberty of the press, in the se verest form in which it can be well worded. Thus the King, by the advice of Monsieur Rudhart, declares himself not only independent of the sole shadow of a national body that is allowed to exist in Greece, but he considers it advisable to insult the members of that body by the haste with which their counsel is rejected, and their protocols thrown in their faces. Education, capacity, and experience, are generally consi dered the necessary qualifications of an Editor of a News paper ; and on these points Monsieur Rudhart agrees with the rest of the world. He tells us (Art. 54, sec. 6), that an Editor of a Newspaper must prove his knowledge of ancient Greek, while an absolute King, or a Minister of State, we all know, in Greece need know no language at all. He tells us (sec. 4), that an idiot, or an incapable person, cannot be the Editor of a Newspaper, when, God knows, we have experi enced that the same law does not stand good as to the abso lute Monarch and his Prime Minister; and he tells us (sec. 2), that the Editor must have the experience of a life of twenty-five years at least, whilst Otho, God bless him, had reached the full maturity of his intellects at eighteen, and Rudhart. I am sure, must have been as clever a youthjat the desk in Bavaria as the old man at the council-table in Greece. There is another requisite of editorship, according to the new Greek law, which it would perhaps puzzle some of the gentle men of the press at home to comply with. Monsieur Rudhart declares that no man can possibly be allowed to publish a newspaper but a landed proprietor, with an estate free from debt and mortgage (sec. 7). This egregious nonsense re minds one of former acts of Bavarian legislation in Greece ; but unfortunately there is too much wickedness mixed up with the absurdity of the law on the press to allow of one's feeling any inclination to laugh. Some idea may be formed of the dangerous responsibility of an editor, from the fact of Rudhart having had the greatest difficulty in getting any one to accept the situation for the go vernment paper, the Courrier. He had the mortification of being r(fused in several personal applications lie made to Government employes; and when at last a poor devil of a clerk accepted the honour, he was so unmercifully assailed by his friends and acquaintances that he went next morning to Rudhart and resigned, on which the Minister flew at him with clenched fists, exclaiming, " Vous des un lathe, lathe, lathe !" which had not the effect, however, of altering the other's de termination, and Rudhart had to look elsewhere. At last an under clerk in the Council of State has been persuaded to ac cept the situation of responsible editor of the Courrier ; but this individual does not possess the qualifications so impe riously required by the law, and it is by false sales and false documents that he is bolstered up as the man of straw that covers Monsieur Rudhart's own stupidity, as made apparent to the world by his printed compositions... Morning Chronicle. TILE W BATHER, LONDON, JAN. 22.—The ther meter this dav, at noon, stood at 42 ; barometer, 29.80. The wind charged to South last Eight, with thaw. To-day it is South-east, with every prospect of the thaw continuing. LITERATURE.—W e are requested to state that Mr. Bentley, of New Burlington-street, Publisher in Ordinary to her Majesty, is preparing for immediate publication the fol lowing new works :—I. Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi, the Clown, edited by Charles Dickens, Esq. (" Boz"), 2 vols., post Bvo., with numerous characteristic illustrations by George Cruikshank. 11. Damascus and Palmyra, a Journey to the East; by Charles G. Addison, Esq., of the Inner Temple, 2 vols., Bvo., with numerous Engravings. 111. Narrative of the Residence of the Three Persian Princes in London, in 1835 and 1836 ; with an Account of their Journey from Persia and subsequent adventures ; by James Baillie Fraser, Esq , author of " The Persian Adventurer," &c., 2 vols., post Bvo., with Portraits. IV. Vienna and the Austrians, by Mrs. Trollope, author of " Domestic Manners of the Americans," &c., 2 vols., Bvo., with fourteen engravings. V. Memoirs of Sir William Knighton, Bart., G. C. H., Keeper of the Privy Purse during the latter part of the reign of his Majesty George the Fourth ; by Lady Knighton. To which are added nume rous letters from the most distinguished personages, &c., now first published from the originals, 2 vols. Bvo., with a Portrait. Mr. Bentley has also just published :—I. The History- of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, by W. H. Prescott, Esq., 3 vols., Bvo., with Portraits. 11. The Life and Times of Louis the Fourteenth, by G. P. R. James, Esq., author of " Darnley," " Idichelieu," &c., 2 vols., Bvo., with numerous Portraits. 111. Excursions in the Abruzzi and Northern Provinces of Naples, by the Hon. Koppel Craven, 2 vols., Bvo., with engravings (245. ). IV. The Second Edition, revised, with additions, of the Letters and Works of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, edited by the Right Hon. Lord Wharncliffe, 3 vols. Bvo., with numerous portraits. V. The new and cheaper edition, in a neatly bound pocket volume (price Os.) of the Naval Officer's Guide for Preparing Ships for Sea. 1 - 10U3E OF COMNIONS.—Among the various fan ciful and expensive changes in the House of Commons is a sort of iron grating to let in air from below, in the lobby of the House, which ezcitrd many caustic remarks from different Members Tuesday night. " What is this gridiron for ?" said Mr. Wakley to one of the officers of the House. "To cook rump_ steaks, I suppose," was the reply. When two or three lion. Members have broken their shins in rushing to divisions over this slippery surface, the old floor will probably be restored, and the country pay the piper. The King, Louis Philippe, has directed 12,000 francs from his privy purse to be distributed to the indigent inhabi tants of Paris in portions of firewood and soup. The Queen has contributed 3,000 francs, the Duke of Orleans 6,000 francs, and Madame Adelaide 3,000 francs, towards the same bene volent purpose. MEETING ON THE BALLOT IN YORK. (From the Yorkthireman.) On Thursday evening a numerous meeting of the citizens took place in the Merchants' Hal', Fossgate, to discuss the vote by Ballot, and to inspect a model of Mr. Grote's Ballot-box, which had been forwarded by the member for the City of London to Mr. R. Pearce. Men of all parties were present, but the meeting was characterised by the most admirable suppression of party feeling. Alderman MEEK (late Lord Mayor of York) having taken the chair, pursuant to previous announcement, stated that the meeting was convened in consequence of Mr. Pearce having received a Ballot-box from Mr. Grote, one of the Members for the City of London. He did not look on the vote by Ballot as a party question ; it was one in which both Whigs and Tories were interested, as attempts were made by both parties to influence the voters. It had been said that property was the basis on which enfraanchisement ought to be founded, and he would admit it fir the sake of the argument ; it was the only qualifica tion they had, with the exception of freemen. Now, a man of pro perty ought •to have weight and influence in the state. A man of 20,000/. a year—and there were many such in this country— had a large stake in society, perhaps he had 100 tenants, 50 of whom were occupying to the value of 501. a-year and upwards, and would be entitled to vote for the Knights of the Shire. The proprietor having a very large stake iii the country, the law had provided, if his property lay in each of the three ridings, that he should have a vote fur six Mem. bets of Parliament. His tenants probably resided only in one riding, but each of them would have some stake, for occupiers of 501. a-year rental and upwards must havea capital of from 4001. to 1,0004, and some more. He hesitated not to say such men were as firmly attached to the institutions and the liberties of their country as their landlord, with his 20,000/. a-year ; and that they ought to be enabled to give a free, un biassed, unprejudiced, and uncontrolled vote for the individuals they wished to send to Parliament. In the case of a tradesman who had a number of journeymen, they were to a certain extent dependent upon him for work ; it was the master's interest to have good workmen, and when he lehaved well to them they would behave well to him; but he had no right to interfere with their franchise. The men rendered their labour in return for their wages; consequently they stood on an equal footing —the master owed the journeyman nothing, the journeyman the master nothing ; but each owed the other civility and kindness ; and where the master used improper influence, and required his men to vote contrary to the dictates of their consciences, he acted inconsistently.—(Applause.) To prevent this was thegreat object of the Ballot. To vote by Ballot it must put an end to canvassing.—(Loud applause') With these remarks he begged to introduce Mr. Pearce to the meeting —(Applause.) Mr. PEARCE was received with applause. He would ask, whether, under the present system, the nation could express, boldly and fully, its feelings on any given subject. He thought not.—(Cheers.) It was notorious that bribery, intimidation, and undue influence were practised to a great extent, and so long as these were practised, they could not have a full and free representation in the House of Commons. The uppenents of the Ballot said it was impossible to produce any plan by which votes could be taken secretly. The box he was about to present to them had been invented by Mr. Grote; had been exhibited in various public meetings at Manchester, Leeds, Wakefield, Liverpool, and in various divisions of the metropolis ; it had been canvassed through the medium of thepublic press, and undergone frequent examinations, but had never yet been found ineffective. The vote by Ballot existed at present in two great nations. In France it had the effect of returning to the Chamber of Deputies men of spirit and in dependence, and had been found to answer admirably. The principal objection to the Ballot was that it was un-English ; but that was entirely groundless. It was not so modern a thing as people imagined ; it had been practised here by the Romans ; and nearly 200 years ago a Bill for legalising it had been brought into the House of Commons by a person named Henry Nevill, when ten Members voted in its favour. Since that time (1659) it had prevailed in every newsroom and club in the kingdom, and in several parishes; the Directors of the Bank of England and the Governors of the East India Company were chosen by ballot. A person in the crowd asked how a blind man could vote by the ballot.box ? &PORTEN G INTELLIGENCE. LATEST BETTING MANCHESTER. CHESTER TRADE CUP. 9 to I agst Mr. Robinson's Whaley 12 to I agst Mr. Fairlie's Zolnab 15 to I agst Mr. Clarke's Magician 15 to 1 agst Mr. Alostyn's Birdlime 15 to 1 asst Mr. Fairlie's Abraham Newland 16 to 1 agst Mr. Houhlsworth's Combat 16 to I agst Mr. Kenyon's Ludford- • - 17 to I asst Mr. Fowler's Heron 17 to I agst Mr. Barrow's Catherina 18 to 1 agst Mr. Walters's Prime Warden 18 to I agst Mr. Price's Wentworth 20 to 1 agst General Yates's Sylvan 20 to 1 agst Mr. Fowler s-Mersey 20 to I agst Captain Lamb's Chit Chat 20 to 1 agst Mr. Buckley's Dick 25 to 1 agst Mr. St. Paul's Galewood 25 to I agst Lord Derby's Parolles 25 to 1 agst Mr. Bowes's Lord Stafford 25 to I agst Mr. T. Walters's King Cole :30 to 1 agst Sir E. Smyth's Master of the Rolls 30 to 1 agst Mr. Collett's Conservative 30 to 1 agst Mr. G. Cooke's Rachel 100 to 3 agst Mr. Allan's Vesper 100 to 3 agst Sir T. Stanley's Violet 100 to 3 agst Lord Miltown's Fusileer 50 to 1 agst Mr. Meyrick's Drone IRELAND, RAORDINARY STATE OF THE RIVER. The Thames is now completely blockaded, the navigation is stopped in lobo, and a spectacle which has not presented itself for many years was observed yesterday. Several men passed over the ice in safety from one shore to the other, below bridge, and during the whole day there was a regular communication between the vessels laying in the middle of the river off the Tower and the shore, over the ice. It was singular to witness the manner in which the thorough fare was opened ; one bold fellow first began by cauiously walking over blocks of ice, stumbling almost at every step ; he reached the shore in safety ; another followed at a somewhat quicker pace, and the success, of these men in duced others to follow at a more rapid rate, till at last persons walked backward and forward without betraying any apprehension, carrying provisions with them. Several masters who had been confined to their vessels for two or three days got ashore over the ice, and hastened into the City to transact their usual business. At four o'clock part of the ice in the middle of the River, exactly off Irongate-stairs, and near a tier of Newcastle traders, was cleared by a number of boys, who began sliding, They were soon followed by a great many unemployed labourers and watermen, and an ani mated scene ensued. The stairs and the Tower-wharf wero soon covered with people, who looked on with much sur prise at the sight of so many persons amusing themselves in the very middle of the river. As the tide rose and pressed on the ice it began to crack, and the sliders took the warning in due time, and got ashore in safety. A regular communication was opened between the north shore and the Perseus guard ship (tender) off the Tower, over the ice. On Saturday morning when the tide fell both shores were covered with ice, a narrow stream of water only being visible, along which enormous icebergs floated, adding to the mass on each side, and every minute rendering the channel more narrow. There was a block on both sides, with few intervals, between London-bridg,-e and the eastern entrance of the Lon don Dock at Shadwell. Opposite the Thames Police Office people were passing right across from one shore to the other nearly all day; but, strange to say, from that point to the lower entrance of the London Dock, the middle of the stream was free from ice, both sides being covered. From the Lon don Dock Pier, however immense fields of ice were seen as far below as the eye could reach, and embedded in them were several barges and boats ; three sham-ves=sels were locked in the ice at the entrance of the dock. It was not quite safe to go to the vessels across the ice, and no communication could be kept up between them and the shore. The situation of many poor fellows was pitiable in the extreme, exposed as they were to the piercing frost. Several ba-ges, on which large fires were kindled near to the unfrozen water, were en deavouring to get out of the ice, but at a late hour their ef forts were not attended with success. A report was prevalent at Shadwell Dock Stairs that four men had perished, and a great number were collected on the spot, among whom there was the most painful anxiety. At every stairs along shore be tween London Bridge and Greenwich the same rumour pre vailed, but no accurate tidings of the painful event could bo obtained ; there is, however, too much reason to believe, that the four men have lost their lives. The old watermen and lightermen all state that the quantity of ice on the River is as great as it was during the memorable frost of 1814, and they have no doubt that the Thames would have been frozen over from Blackfriars Bridge to London Bridge, and that a fair would ere this have been held upon it, but for the removal of the old bridge and the starlings, which. kept the ice above. Some idea of the intensity of the frost may be conceived from the fact that the thermometer at Fletcher's wharf, Wapping, was at eight o'clock yesterday morning at 63- Fahrenheit. In the countinghouse of Messrs. Mangles and Co. the thermometer was at 121 Fahrenheit, Above Vauxhall Bridge to beyond Battersea Bridge, there, was scarcely any motion perceptible in the ice in the centre ef the River, and towards the banks the ice was of considerable thickness. Above Hammersmith Bridge the River is com pletely frozen over; and near the waterworks of the West Middlesex Company, on the Middlesex shore, several persons ventured across. Near the shores on either side, between that spot and Kew Bridge, numbers of persons wero skating. and sliding. Above Kew Bridge, on account of the islands by which the River is intersected, the ice is already pretty se cure; and at Richmond as early as Thursday last, persons were skating, &c., close to the centre of the stream. From Windsor and uptvards the Thames was frozen over on Sun day week; and eastward of that town, at Eghain, Sunbury, Shepperton, &c., it was also completely frozen on the follow, ing. day. The River yesterday continued in the same state as on 41. turday, the ice, if possible, presenting a more formidalde barrier to the navigation than it has hitherto done. Late on Saturday night, and early yesterday morning, several lighter men who had been confined to their barges locked in among the blocks of ice for twelve, sixteen, or eighteen hours, were brought ashore on hurdles dragged over the communication was kept up between the shor, in many parts of the River over the ice, any were frequently passing from one shore to the zag direction. Mr. Charles Kean's sixth perforinan on Friday last brought the largest receipt sine and we understand nearly every box is engai sent week. The " juvenile night" at Drury.; Thursday last, we have heard, was so producti will be given to-morrow. It is said there we' ehildr.n DUBLIN, JAN. 20. MR. O'CONNELL—MEETING OF PARISH DEPU TIES AND THE TRADES' UNION. Yesterday a very numerous meeting, consisting of the depu ties of the several parochial Liberal Clubs in this city, and the Committee of the Trades' Political Union, took place at the Corn Exchange, for the purpose of considering and adopt ing the most effectual means of sustaining the Liberal registry. Before noticing the immediate objects of the meeting, Mr. O'Connell strongly censured the course of observations adopted by the Evening Packet and the Evening Mail on the subject of combination ; asking if the editor of the Mail was not " the most depraved of the human race, in doing all he can to render his exertions nugatory, in putting an end to this horrible system of murder which has disgracedour city ?" Mr. O'Connell continued—The depraved writers of the Mail have within the last few days retraced their footsteps, and given the best proofs of their turpitude. But I scorn their political apo logy—l hare them marked ; and, Sir, the human mind revolts at the course pursued by them with regard to me, while strug gling to put down this mischievous combination. The Mail and Packet are the only Orange papers, either in the north or south of Ireland, who have differed from me on this subject— with their peculiar depravity, they have stigmatised themselves as the Welters' gazetecrs. Resolutions in conronance with the object of the meeting were passed, and after the following compliment, carried by acclamation, the meeting separated : " Resolved—That our warmest thanks be offered to our distinguished representative, Daniel O'Connell, Esq., M. P., for the anxious solicitude for the independence of this city evinced by him in summoning this meeting, and for the judicious ad ♦ice and suggestions he has submitted to us this day." DRAWING -ROOM AT THE CASTLE.--His Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant and the Countess of Mulgrave, held their first Drawing-room, at the Castle, last Thursday, which was numerously and respectably attended. The company began to arrive at about nine o'clock. Their Excellencies the Earl and Countess of Mulgrave en tertained a large party at dinner at the Castle yesterday. TernEs.—From several communications which we have re ceived from Michelstown, it appears that that town and neigh bourhood have been thrown into a most unexpected state of commotion, from the circumstance of a respectable and in dustrious inhabitant being arrested and thrown into prison for the large sum (to him) of 286/. 9s. Bd., his original debt amounting only to 14 3s. 4id. It appears that to save large costs he was entered in the defence with several others, and in consequence of this, and by an obsolete statute, he is im mured within the walls of a dungeon, not alone for his own but for the debts (?) of all the other recusants. Thus, for refus ing to pay money for himself and others for which no earthly value was given, he is forced from his family at this inclement season of the year, and confined in a cold and dreary prison. Limerick Star. COVNTT OF LIMERICK PETITION.—we understand the Speaker's warrant has arrived in town, on behalf of Patrick Boyle and John Humphreys, electors, requiring the attendance of Darby O'Grady, the Rev. William Waller, William Gab.. bett, and Crosbie Moore, , Esqrs., before the Committee of the House of Commons, on the 3d of April next. This is as it should be—the case must be probed to the bottom.—lbid. CATHOLIC METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL.—On Sunday eve ning, the 14th, there was a meeting to complete the front portico of this magnificent edifice. Resolutions were adopted to effect this object. Our correspondent who has furnished us with a report, to the reception of which our columns aro unequal, concludes his account of the proceedings in the fol lowing terms :—" From the spirit which was manifested at the meeting, ardent and enthusiastic to an extreme, there can he no doubt of the energetic and speedy consummation of the object for which it was convened. I have never, in any point of view, enthusiasm, numbers, grandeur, intelligence, or ora tory, witnessed anything superior." E X T , -- - ice. A • •• ~ '0 an - ..... .7 t t id ri a . L . -• ..(< 4 „, Le ot 1? `'r :1 • . ';'‘ 'A‘ , 0 I . % , , c ' , vc.T-- - - I , iiii , 1 ncetilf -. ihi'4 t ice .°, . ~.. F b -la 1 1 . V . Z five, t .N . h I ,: . # i ere net s **"" a.. 0